It's All In The Reflexes
by Random Guise
Summary: It's been ten years since Jack Burton shook the pillars of heaven in his adventure against David Lo Pan. But possible adventure has found him once again. Rated for mild language. I don't own these characters, but I have ridden in a big rig before. Told in 4 chapters.
1. Chapter 1

It's All In The Reflexes

"You're telling me you still haven't heard from Egg?"

Jack Burton sat up in his chair after taking his feet off the table. He leaned forward and asked "Do you think his China finally gave out?" while thumping on his chest.

Wang Chi shook his head. "He didn't say China _was_ his heart, he said China was _in_ the heart. It's possible he could have died somewhere, but news would have filtered back here to Chinatown somehow."

"Part of that inscrutable Chinese grapevine, or whatever you call it. Maybe he just went to the real China" Jack surmised.

"Maybe, but I think he would have told us if he was going to do that. Of course he would have walked out of here without a word if we hadn't stopped him to ask where he was going." Here was the Dragon of the Black Pool Restaurant that Wang owned in San Francisco's Chinatown. His uncle Chu helped manage the place, and now his wife Maio Yin helped too. Wang's friend Eddie Lee served as the head waiter. Egg Shen was a local expert on Chinese history and magic who also ran a bus tour and owned a whole block of Chinatown.

In fact it was Maio Yin that had been the catalyst for one of Jack's biggest adventures ten years previously. She was kidnapped after arriving in the United States by David Lo Pan, a half-ghost/half-man cursed creature that had existed for over 2000 years. He planned a ceremony where he would wed then kill Maio Yin so as to become flesh and blood again. Jack and Wang had attempted a rescue, which only resulted in a lawyer named Gracie Lee and journalist Margo [Winterbottom] also being kidnapped. Jack and Wang then recruited more help, and along with Egg and the Chang Sing gang raced underground and stormed the ceremony just in time to kill Lo Pan before he could kill Maio Yin, rescuing Law and many girls bound for the sex trade in the process. There was also the small matter of "the three storms", fighters of extraordinary skill and strength in league with Lo Pan that were killed with great difficulty in the final escape.

Margo eventually wrote of the adventures as the fictionalized serial account "Big Trouble In Little China" that was met with acclaims and landed her a position on the local Chronicle newspaper.

More importantly, Jack Burton became an underground legend in Chinatown. He was afforded great latitude to the point where even the street gangs considered him untouchable, with a mixture of gratitude and awe at the stories that had only grown over time. Jack didn't encourage the stories, but he didn't discourage them either.

Jack found the learning curve for understanding old Chinese legends and magic just a little too difficult to climb, and powered through with his usual drive and the occasional weapon. He had known Wang for some time, but got a lot bigger serving of the ancient Chinese culture than he anticipated. For Jack, sometimes it was action first and understanding later, if at all.

"So when was the last time you heard from Egg anyway?" Jack asked.

"About a year ago. He was going to look into some old underground structures in Seattle."

"Well, give the man time. He's what, about 150 years old?" Jack waved before Wang could object. "Ok, so he's only 93 or something. Maybe he found a piece of China down there."

"Speaking of finding something, what are you doing now Jack? You haven't been making your usual runs for a couple months now."

"I'll tell you Wang, I'm about ready to hang it up. After we shook the pillars of heaven with that Lo Pan crap, I figured it was time to start planning on retiring. I already have a bundle stashed away in an IRA, got some property in the central valley and I've had my truck paid off for three years now."

"The good ol' Pork Chop Express, eh?" Jack's specialty was hauling pigs from the mid-west to the west coast markets.

"Pork Chop III, actually. I wore out the first one and somebody totaled the second. I was able to pay cash for the third, so she's been all mine from the start. I've diversified a bit to keep busy, so that's why I haven't been up this way as much; I figure two more years and I'm set. Maybe I should buy some real estate up here as a rental property; what do you think Wang?"

"Not unless you're going to be in it for a while; short term you might take a bath. Yeah, the prices are outrageous and they'll go up alright, but you can get killed in the short run. Here, let me read off a few for you." Wang picked up the paper and started looking for listings as an example.

Jack noticed an article on the back page while Wang was scanning. "I see Margo has her own byline now. I think Eddie married up." Jack looked at the article, about a woman who had gone down to LA on some civil rights case involving trucking only to disappear. "Some of those truckers can be really nasty; I've had a couple of run ins with 'em. I feel sorry for this woman Gracie…Gracie Law? Gimmie that" he said as he snatched the paper from Wang.

"It's her Wang; count on Gracie to get herself in trouble. How old is this paper anyway?" A glance at the top told him the article was published a week ago. "How come you didn't say anything, Wang?"

"Didn't know about it. It's on the back page, Jack. Nobody looks at the back page."

Jack stood up and started pacing around. "A guy would have to be crazy to go into something like that."

"He sure would" Wang agreed.

"He'd have to have lots of help."

"As much as he could get."

"And he'd have to plan it down to the last detail to make sure nothing would go wrong, because brother from what I've seen of this world things go wrong more often than they go right."

"It would take weeks of planning at least."

Jack stopped pacing. "Who the hell am I kidding? Are you coming or not?"

"Let me tell Uncle and Maio and then I'm with you Jack."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"Now I got as much information out of Margo as I could" Jack explained as they rolled down the interstate. "There was some sort of 'incident' she called it, where a trucker got pulled over by the police and then he ended up in the hospital. Gracie went down to interview him in the hospital, but they said he wasn't even there, never had been. So she gets the big idea to go to the trucking outfit that hired this guy and disappears. The cops asked some questions, and figured she just gave up and went back home but her office hasn't seen or heard from her."

"You worried about her Jack?" Wang had a hard time reading Jack's face; he always put up the macho, confident look no matter what the situation.

"Me? Nah. Gracie's tough, she can handle herself. Most of the time. Sometimes. Damn, you bet I'm worried! I don't know what it is about that girl Wang, but part of me says to run away and the other part says to stick around. I used my key to her apartment and checked the place out, but there was no signs of struggle and no notes lying around."

"You didn't find anything at all?"

"Yeah, a windbreaker I left from the last time I was there, Wang. Nothing important though."

Just then the CB radio broke in. "Breaker one-nine, this here's Plastic Goose. You got your ears on Pork Chop?"

Jack grabbed the mic and responded "Ten-four, Goose. Whatcha need?"

"Negative on the need, PC. Just seeing if everything was okay. Saw your rig but the channel was quiet. Not used to having it so quiet around you, I thought my radio was goin' south. If you don't watch out someone else is gonna have a chance to say somethin'."

Jack grinned. "Thanks, Goose. Got a rider today, been sawing his ears off. Still got my ears on in case something comes up. Ten-seven Goose, catch you another time." He hung the mic back up.

"That's some network you got out here, Jack. It's almost like a brotherhood, sort of like the Chang Sings back home. Would they back you up in a tight spot?"

"Some would, and others would just downshift and mash it to the floor to get away. Like that big fight we had one time at a biker bar in Texas; remind me to tell you that story sometime, you might learn a little about how real fighting is done. Not that Kung Fu stuff you practice. Now where was I…yeah, Gracie."

"I always thought you two would settle down together, Jack. When you saw her at the airport when I went to pick up Maio Yin, you went right over and introduced yourself."

"And got shot down, don't forget that Wang."

"Yeah, but she came back, didn't she? And she was right there with Margo and Eddie when we went in to rescue Maio Yin the first time. I think you both are the same type, Jack."

"Maybe that's the trouble. When I got married the first time I was way too young and didn't know better. When I got married the second time I was way too stupid and should have known better. Always going by my reflexes…"

"…or other parts…" interjected Wang.

"…instead of my head. That's really weird coming from a guy named Wang, Wang. Don't get me wrong; when I come up into the city Gracie and I usually end up together and we have a good time. But like I've said before, sooner or later I rub everybody the wrong way and then that's it. I'm like having a dessert; it's better to have some time pass before you get me again."

"Listen Jack; both of you spend most of your work day talking, you on the CB and her with the law practice. Maybe if you didn't talk too much things would work out better; maybe sometimes you just get tired of talking."

"What about you, Wang? You and Maio Yin ever get tired of talking?"

"No, we can come home from work and talk from sundown to sunup easy."

"Nobody does that Wang; who are you, Doctor Ruth?"

"It works for us, Jack. That's the important thing. Have you been with any other women since you've been seeing Gracie?"

"Well, no. Not that I couldn't if I wanted to, the old Jack magic is still hitting on all cylinders. I...just don't want to, that's all. Been concentrating on work, you know."

"Right, anything you say. So where are we going?"

"A smart man would go to the police and start there."

"Okay, but where are _we_ going?"

"Heggen's Trucking Company. That's where Gracie was heading, so we're going to go there looking for a job."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Jack pulled to the side of the road a block from the Heggen's Trucking Company yard. "Now here's my plan, Wang. With a name like Adolph, that this place is probably full of those asshole skinhead Arian freaks, so you're going to have to keep a low profile. We need to get ourselves hired to be able to look around, and we'll probably just be paid to deliver a first load as a kind of test. There might be someone that knows me here, but I doubt it; I haven't done any business with these guys and I'm about as independent as they come. Better let me do the talking."

Jack climbed into the back of his cab, and emerged minutes later with his cap off, his hair slicked back and fake glasses on; at the last moment he put the glasses away because his driver's license didn't mention needing them. "Okay, this is it. You're a trucker now, Wang." He pulled away from the curb and rolled down the block before pulling into the yard. He parked the truck with a loud "Shshhhhh" of the air and hopped out of the cab and strolled purposely toward the door that read 'Office'. "Remember, think trucking" he said as he opened the door and walked in.

The office was busy with the sounds of phone calls, computer typing and printing. There were five people working in the office.

All of them were Asian.

Jack looked at a door in the rear that said 'President'. Underneath it read 'Adolph Chung'. "So much for the skinhead theory, eh Jack?" Wang said in a low voice with a grin.

"Do your people own all of California yet?" Jack retorted.

This caught the attention of a receptionist, who was busy typing on a keyboard. "Hello, welcome to Heggen's Trucking. Can I help you?"

Jack kicked it into gear. "Hi, my name's Jack Burton. I'm new to the area, and I'm looking for a job. Long hauls, day jobs, whatever I can get. I've got a Freightliner that's fueled up and ready to go, I'm coming off 10 hours of sleep and I even have a thermos full of coffee." Jack held up an insulated bottle to emphasis his point.

"I see" said the receptionist. "If you and your partner can sit over there" she said while she pointed to some chairs off to one side "I'll see if Mr. Chung is accepting applications today. If he isn't, I know I am" she added with a smile. While they seated themselves in the indicated chairs, the receptionist disappeared beyond the president's door.

As they sat, Jack studied the chairs. "I don't see where the straps come out and hold you down, there's no place on the floor for it to pivot, no seam in the wall for a panel to disappear us behind."

"Maybe it's a legit office, Jack."

"I don't know, but my gut says something isn't right here."

"Maybe it's that deep-fried chimichanga you had for breakfast."

"No, I always eat those. Breakfast of champions."

"And heart patients."

The door opened and the receptionist returned. "Mr. Chung will see you now if you would like."

"Thank you ma'am," Jack said while standing up "that's what we're here for. As an aside, he told Wang "this is where we meet the real Heggen" as they walked toward the door. The receptionist seemed to brush against Jack on purpose, but he passed it off as an accident. Her lilac perfume registered in his brain but was soon forgotten.

As the entered the inner office, a man stood from behind his desk. Mr. Adolph Chung was in fact Asian, much to Jack's disappointment. "Have a seat gentlemen" he said after shaking their hands. "I could use another team, so let's talk about what experience you have."

And talk Jack did. Fast, machine-gun quick with barely time for breaths. Jack was in his element, talking about himself; he censored out any mention of ex-wives or battles under Chinatown. He handed over his identification and certifications.

"Very impressive Mr. Burton. So you started in the business by busting tires, then some warehousing before moving onto the road. Mr. Chi, you don't seem to figure in much of Mr. Burton's experience." He added something in Chinese.

Wang responded in his native tongue for some time. When Jack gave him a look he explained. "I was telling Mr. Chung that I was new to trucking, and that I have a half interest in your truck. This way I could learn the business and at the same time look out for my investment. After all, that's the way you're supposed to treat family. My sister wouldn't be happy if she found out I wasn't doing all I could for her husband's brother."

While Jack was still trying to figure out just how this made him and Wang related, Mr. Chung stood up. "We'll handle the paperwork later if you can perform this next test. Meet me outside the office on the loading dock in a few minutes and we'll see what you can do." He sat again and picked up a phone while dialing.

"Thank you sir" Jack said as he and Wang stepped out of the office. The receptionist gave him a thumbs up. Jack smiled weakly and said "We'll see" before continuing outside to the front of the building, where he followed the walkway to a loading dock in front of the first warehouse.

"Jack, that receptionist is giving you the eye. You just told her 'maybe' for later."

"I did nothing of the kind. She was saying the interview went well and everything was looking good to work here."

"Are you sure you know about women?"

They stood on the dock and waited. The yard was quiet, so Jack peeked into the warehouse. "No doubt this is where the drugs are held" he said as he looked inside. Crates of bicycles and playhouses could be seen on pallets. "They must be farther in."

Mr. Chung came out to meet them on the dock. "As you can see, sometimes my labor force doesn't always match up with what work needs to be done, so I can use someone who's flexible and isn't afraid to get his hands dirty." Jack looked at Wang as if to say 'Code for henchmen'. "Here is a manifest; I want you to load that nearest trailer and get it ready to ship out. You'll find everything on pallets in this warehouse. Come into the office when you're done, you are being timed." He handed the clipboard to Jack and wished them luck before returning to the office.

"We can explore the warehouse later after we're hired; right now we need to pass the test. Let's get that trailer loaded first and get a good time." Jack hurried over to a forklift and fired it up, then drove it near the rear of the trailer. "Okay, let's see what we have." He started scanning down the list of merchandise to be loaded.

"Jack, what does this ID number mean?" Wang pointed out a number in a box near the top of the manifest.

"That's the trailer number. See how it matches the number…" However, the number didn't match the trailer they were ready to load. _That_ trailer was actually parked away from the dock. "It's a test within a test. If we load the wrong trailer right, we fail. If we load the right trailer wrong, we fail. Well, we have to match up with the manifest, number one rule. Let me back the other trailer in here and we'll see what we have. Come on Wang."

They ran across the parking lot, and hopped into the cab of the Express. Jack fired it up and quickly maneuvered to hook up the correct trailer, then ran Wang through the process of putting the two elements together. Satisfied, he moved the trailer and backed it against the dock beside the first trailer.

Grabbing a light, he ran around and opened the doors. "Okay Wang, read off that manifest and let's see if it's loaded right. From the top down, don't move on until I say 'check'. Go!"

Wang proceeded to read the list while Jack checked the load. All was according to plan until after the manifest was read through, when an extra pallet nearest the doors wasn't accounted for. "We've got an extra pallet, Jack."

"I know. This is where the stuff is. Maybe they're shipping human cargo." Jack whipped out his knife and opened the large box's flap. Inside was a partially constructed see-saw set. "Legit, but it doesn't belong. Let's move it out." He used the forklift to move a heavy ramp between dock and trailer, then removed the crate and left it with the forklift in the warehouse.

"That's it. We'll leave the doors open for inspection. Back to the office." They hustled back into the office where Mr. Chung was waiting.

He looked at his watch. "Already? You boys are fast; now let's see if you're good too." They all went out, and at the dock Chung cast an eye in the lot and at the extra trailer. "You got step one right; we throw out a lot of applicants when they miss that one." He looked into the trailer and noticed the space for the missing pallet, then glanced over to see it on the forklift. "And step two is passed as well. I must say, I'm impressed. You don't know how much time and money I lose by people that can't read a manifest properly. Step three should be easy. Here's the manifest, you can see by the address that this is just a simple run here in town. I don't see any reason why you two can't become part of our organization. Here's the rest of your paperwork you brought, now if everything goes smoothly you'll be part of team Heggen this evening.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Later that night, Heggen's Trucking experienced its two newest employees taking an inventory of just what the business had in its warehouse. Their boss probably wouldn't have appreciated the fact it was done after hours, with everyone gone except a guard who spent most of his time watching a large television filled with the latest broadcast entertainments. The fact that the monitor behind him might have caught the occasional fleeting glimpse of two unauthorized visitors was missed entirely as cops, doctors and investigators kept his attention elsewhere.

Systematically they moved through the front warehouse, making sure they hadn't missed anything from their first day at work. Everything seemed to be legitimate. They moved to a second warehouse that fronted the loading dock. Although this seemed to be furniture rather than children's toys, the items still seemed to be what they claimed.

"Maybe I should take a look inside some of the cushions" Jack said, pulling his knife.

"Jack, no! What is Mr. Chung going to think if he comes in here and sees stuffing all over the warehouse? Maybe the employees having an after-hour pillow fight?"

"Don't worry Wang, I don't mean every cushion. Find one that is particularly lumpy and I'll just slit the seam; they can blame one on bad workmanship. Find one that's lumpy." Jack started sitting on anything that was soft, and Wang followed. Finally Jack said "Here's one. Feel this."

Wang sat on the offending chair cushion. "It does feel a bit lumpy. Okay, just the one." Jack flashed his knife and the seam opened up. He moved his hand around inside. "Just a bad job of padding, there's nothing else in there. It looks like this place is clean too. The back door leads to the next warehouse."

They made their way to the door and found it unlocked. Opening it, they peered inside the brightly lit room. It was entirely empty, with only traces of a white substance on the floor. Jack took a taste.

"Cocaine?" Wang asked.

"How would I know what cocaine tastes like? But I do know salt when I stick it in my mouth. Maybe this one held food, but it's all gone now." Jack looked around again. "One last door, that one looks pretty heavy duty." He strode over to the door, Wang in tow. Trying it, they found it locked. Jack examined the lock. "Time to try being flexible I guess."

He reached into his wallet and pulled out a plastic library card. "They won't let me have anything after I tried to return a book three states away. I knew it would be good for something eventually." He then started running the card into the gap between the door and the jamb, while wiggling the door knob. After about a minute there was a 'click' and the door pulled open slightly. "If we find anything, it'll be in here." He opened the door enough to stick his head in, then quickly withdrew it. "Wang, do I seem like a sane man to you?"

"Sure Jack. A little impulsive sometimes, maybe, but yeah."

"Looking at things the way they are, not what they seem?"

"Yeah."

"Straight forward approach to life and all that it holds?"

"Yeah..."

"Not given to hallucinations?"

"How many times do you want me to say yes?"

"Just asking, sometimes a man wants to know. But let me ask you one more question: Why is Gracie in there wearing a wedding gown and beckoning me to come in?"

Wang grabbed the door and pulled it completely open before stepping through. Recorded organ music welled up as lights played around a makeshift chapel. Sure enough, Gracie Law stood in a wedding dress at the altar with some type of clergyman. When Jack failed to appear, still frozen in bewilderment against the wall on the other side of the doorway, Gracie motioned the music to stop. "Come on Jack! Dad's paying the preacher by the hour!"

"I'm not moving until I wake up from this dream I'm having!" he managed to shout. He tried slapping his face, but the pain didn't change anything. "What the hell is going on?" An older man appeared through the doorway with a jacket, which he held open.

"A dress jacket?"

"Yes Jack" the man replied.

"Thought so. And I'm supposed to get married in it?"

"Yes Jack" he answered again.

"Thought so." In a haze he accepted the jacket.

The man took the library card still in his hand. "Ah, you even brought proof of ID. It wasn't necessary, but thanks for the thought just the same. Now if you would just go in the ceremony can commence" he said as Jack walked through the door.

"Just a…" Jack held the expletive at the sight of Gracie "…minute. What's going on?"

An older man who was also dressed in a nice jacket, who had been standing off to the side of Gracie, approached. "We've never met, Mr. Burton, but I am Howard Law. As you might have guessed, I am Gracie's father. This looks like exactly what it is; you and Gracie are getting married. No, I'm not forcing you but ask yourself this: In a life where you've always trusted your reflexes and your gut, what are they saying now?"

"My reflexes are saying to get married…" Jack snapped, and then paused. "Wait; did I just say that?"

"What does your gut tell you?"

"My gut's telling me to throw up."

"Confront it man! You and Gracie are really two of a kind. It's just like the first time you ever jumped off a high dive into a pool" Howard cajoled.

"I got pushed the first time, for your information. It's not that, but sooner or later…"

"…you rub everybody the wrong way" Gracie continued as she came forward. She stepped up to Jack and looked him in the eye. "Don't you think that's true of everyone? Wang, don't you and Maio Yin get on each other's nerves every once in a while?"

"Never" Wang said proudly.

"You will, count on it. But Jack, maybe we are supposed to rub each other the wrong way. But as long as we rub together…"

Jack looked in horror at Mr. Law.

"…I didn't mean it to sound that way" Gracie corrected while blushing slightly. "We may not always agree, but we've never stopped picking up where we left off. That shows something I'm sure."

"Maybe it does at that, something that the poets and the writers and the singers talk about for their whole lives but seldom achieve" Jack mused. "But what it doesn't show is why you disappeared and got me to come sneaking down here behind Mr. Chung's back looking for you or some clue about what happened to you. You're telling me you've been _waiting_ for me?"

"Hoping is more like it, I wasn't sure if you'd get the message or not."

"Good thing I saw that article on the back page of the newspaper" Jack said, relieved.

"That was actually an ad I placed; they don't put news on the back page. I made it look like news so you'd hopefully pay attention. I had a sinister letter mailed just in case you missed that or the billboard" Gracie explained.

"Missed the billboard completely and haven't been home in a week to open the mailbox. But Gracie, what kind of home can I give you? I'm on the road most of time. Sure, I plan to retire in a few years but I can't do it yet until I make some more money."

"Dad?" Gracie asked.

Mr. Law presented Jack with a paper. It was a deed of trust for the Heggen's Trucking Company, to be fulfilled on the day that Jack and Gracie wed. "As you can see, things have been prepared. Mr. Chung" he said, nodding to the man sitting in a chair on the side "is well aware of how things are set up and knew who you were when you walked into the office."

"So you're the real owner" Jack surmised.

"Hardly. You were a hero in old Chinatown, Jack. Egg Shen knew that and wanted to reward you. I don't know all the details about what you did, but he contacted me a few years ago and said the fortunes pointed to you and Gracie getting married. He wanted to hand the company over when you were ready to settle down. This is about as settled as it gets" Mr. Law opined.

"Heggen's Trucking" Wang said. "Move the letters around and it's Egg Shen Trucking. I didn't get it before because I was thinking of the Chinese characters. He must have already had this company as part of his business interests."

"It's a small company, but it has potential" Mr. Chung added. "What it needs is someone who knows the business and the heart to grow it."

"And that's the heart I want too" said Gracie. "Come on Jack. Are you scared?"

"Jack Burton scared? Of a little piece of metal that wraps itself around a man's finger and cuts off his wandering days and tumultuous nights until all he can think about is the one woman in his life?" He took a long dramatic pause. "I suppose I am. But being scared never stopped me before."

The End

* * *

 **A/N: This movie was fun, both for the action and the dialogue. A hero that didn't do much of the fighting, and one that was constantly being outclassed by what was going on around him. Never having a full understanding of the forces at play, he still managed to save the day at the end.**

 **For those who have seen the end of the movie and wonder what happened to that thing on the back his truck, Jack went over a railroad crossing too fast and it flew off, only to come to and stagger in front of a southbound Amtrak train. It was dismissed as another cow incident in the accident report.**

 **We never did address what happened to Egg Shen. I can't imagine Jack letting that one go for too long.**


End file.
